Juneau, Treadwell, and the Mendenhall Glacier

Our first port of call was Juneau.  Our party divided up between the super athletic and the rest of us.  The first group of 4 wanted to hike to the Mendenhall Glacier and hoped to see ice caves.  Unfortunately it was very warm and all the ice caves had melted.

First, our entry into the port at Juneau.

 Getting off the ship - always an interesting experience.  Don't forget your room key! Or you won't be able to get back on the ship.

 We had rented 2 cars, one for the hikers and one for the rest of us.  We drove to an old abandoned gold mining town called Treadwell.  It existed from 1882 to 1922.

Our next stop was to the Mendenhall Visitor Center.  We hiked on a paved path - much easier than a trail.  The hike went as far as a waterfall with a closer view of the glacier.

Someone spotted this porcupine in a tree.

Then we drove into Juneau to the Red Dog Saloon where we were to meet up with the serious hikers for a root beer and listened to some music.

Exploring the Ship and Inuit Carving

Our second full day of being at sea (3rd day of cruise),  was cold and windy.  I did do a walk around the ship outdoors - but you had to fight the wind to get around the front of the ship.  So I spent time exploring inside.  All of these photos were taken with a fisheye lens.

 Too cold to be in a pool outside - so these are abandoned.

 Inside pools - much more popular!

 I did not go to this bar, except to photograph it this day. 

 Down in the main lobby, a native Inuit gave a two hour lecture/demonstration on his people and how to carve a totem pole.  The totem poles are carved to represent a family group.  But - they have to be carved by another person.  This person lives with the family for about a year getting to know them, designing and carving their pole.  Then they have a big meal where the carvers family joins them and payment is negotiated for the carving of the finished totem pole.  If you ask for too much you will be considered greedy and bring shame on your family.  If you are the receiver of the totem pole and you don't offer enough, you also bring shame on your family.  Some times "shame" poles are made to ridicule the family that was too cheep - attempting to shame them into offering more.

North to Alaska!

I recently went on a cruise - my very first large ship cruise - to Alaska.  So many friends and acquaintances rave about cruising, so I wanted to try it for myself.  Ever since I met my husband, he has been very adamant that he would never step foot on a large ocean cruise ship.  So when my daughter and family and her husbands extended family planned this trip to Alaska, I was very excited to join them.

Here is the group, everyone but me.  We have just finished checking into the ship and get in line to get on the ship - The Grand Princess.

 We could not go to our cabins immediately, so we explored the ship and took photos back to San Francisco and the port.  That's Alcatraz in the background.

 As we set sail, we quickly reached our first point of interest, The Golden Gate Bridge.

 Back inside, some people are already taking advantage of the bountiful food provided on the ship.

 The last few pictures are from the second day of the cruise.  I spent a lot of time walking around the ship, mostly for exercise.  This was a sea day so no shots of land.

 Our first "High Tea".  And below, the cabin Yelena and I shared.  I found the size of the room acceptable as we did not spend a lot of time there.